Open AccessStudies on the biological role of DNA methylation. II. Role of 174 DNA methylation in the process of viral progeny DNA synthesis
Author(s) -
Joseph H. Friedman,
Aharon Razin
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
nucleic acids research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 9.008
H-Index - 537
eISSN - 1362-4954
pISSN - 0305-1048
DOI - 10.1093/nar/3.10.2665
Subject(s) - biology , dna methylation , dna , methylation , microbiology and biotechnology , endonuclease , gene , biochemistry , gene expression
In vivo inhibition of bacteriophage phiX174 DNA methylation by nicotinamide resulted in the accumulation of replicative intermediates with multiple-genome length single-stranded "tails". These abnormal replicative intermediates could not be chased into viral single-stranded circular DNA. The effect of nicotinamide on phage maturation and accumulation of abnormal replicative intermediates could be reversed by washing out the inhibitor. The results suggest that the single methyl group present in the viral DNA serves as a recognition site for a specific endonuclease, probably the gene A protein product, that is responsible for the excision of the single-stranded one-genome long viral DNA, before final maturation of the virus occurs.